Peshawar: Opposition members in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Tuesday expressed serious concern over the government’s governance, alleging that departments are reluctant to respond to recommendations of standing committees within the stipulated period despite the introduction of new Assembly rules.
Speaking during the Assembly session, ANP Parliamentary Leader Arbab Usman said new rules had been framed after nearly five decades to restore the sanctity and legal standing of the House, but their implementation remained inadequate.
He questioned the absence of ministers from the House and said the government often cited non-release of funds by the Centre whenever resources were discussed.
Arbab said the Finance Committee had prepared its report in 2024, but despite Rule 23(9), which requires departments to respond to committee recommendations within the prescribed period, no response had been submitted even after a considerable lapse of time.
He called for consultation with elected members on decisions relating to Annual Development Programme funds and urged that the relevant elected representative be taken on board in every development project.
The ANP leader also demanded transparency in the Sehat Insaf Card programme, saying its statistics had yet to be made clear.
He stressed that improvement in governance would remain difficult unless the government fulfilled its constitutional responsibilities and ensured effective performance by the bureaucracy.
PPP Parliamentary Leader Ahmad Kundi said Rule 23(9) had been incorporated into the new Assembly rules to strengthen accountability, making it mandatory for the relevant department to submit a response within 90 days regarding implementation of committee recommendations.
Referring to the Tourism Department, he said the issue of water supply in Galiyat had also been discussed by a standing committee, including a water project estimated at around Rs60 billion.
He said six months had passed since the committee report was presented, but no progress had been made on its recommendations.
Ahmad Kundi said that if departments were unable to implement the recommendations, they should at least submit a non-implementation report to the House explaining the reasons for failing to act on the committee’s recommendations.
